The Sad News of Zapata’s Death

It was the voice of my sister Berta Antunez from the offices of Directorio, the Cuban Democratic Directorate in Miami, she the first person and they the first organization outside of Cuba to learn of the death of Orlando Zapata, and also the organization that most closely followed his case abroad.

It had been less than 20 minutes since she had called me to tell me that those butchers had spoken to Reina to inform her that Zapata would not survive the next 2 hours. As she continued speaking, I sensed the fear in her voice, as if she did not want to use the word “death.”

“What happened, girl? Explain,” I answered her, with desperation.

“He passed away at 3:30 in the afternoon.”

In my pain and desperation I only managed to say, “Well, well, I’m going to hang up now. I have to take care of some errands. Call me later. Those assassins are some real sons of bitches.”

As soon as I hung up, I saw that the police cars #272 and #279 from the Revolutionary National Police in Placetas were posted on both corners from my house. Double the pain: the loss of a brother, and not being able to accompany him on his final journey.

Please help translate!

Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez”

The phrase that gives its name to this blog synthesizes a statement of principles from one who suffered 17 years and 38 days of political imprisonment in Cuba. I will not shut up because I will continue to raise my voice and to denounce and resist, peacefully but directly, the totalitarian regime in Cuba. I will not shut up in the face of the injustices committed against my imprisoned brothers and those in the streets facing repression. I will not shut up because I will not fail in my commitment to those I left behind the bars. To remain silent would be to betray the legacy of Pedro Luis Boitel. I will not leave, I will not abandon my country because to do so would show an immense lack of faith in the inevitable return of freedom. I will not leave Cuba because if I go, what would have been value to the incarceration, the arrests, and my participation in projects like the Central Opposition Coalition and the National Front of Civic Resistance and Civil Disobedience, real achievements of the spirit of unity and maturity of the Cuban civilian movement. I will not leave because I have complete confidence that sooner rather than later my dear sister, Bertha Antúnez, will return to my embrace in Cuba.